Matthew K. Howard1952 - 2018

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea.

65 years old

Born on August 29, 1952 .

Passed away on February 8, 2018 .

It is with a sadness that we share news of the unexpected death of Dr. Matthew K. Howard, Data Management and Communications Coordinator for GCOOS and Research Scientist in the Department of Oceanography, College of Geosciences at Texas A & M University.

Matt’s pioneering contributions to oceanography, ocean observing systems and data management are wide-ranging and countless and matched only by his kindness, desire to help, quick response, wonderful wit and enthusiasm for life.

The family of Matt requests that in lieu of flowers and cards, a donation in Matt's name to Hospice Brazos Valley (http://www.hospicebrazosvalley.org/) will be most appreciated.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matt was a pioneer in observing systems and the associated data infrastructure required for collection and dissemination. GCOOS, and the IOOS association as a whole, miss him dearly but his work and legacy lives on. God rest his soul!!

I had the good fortune to work with Matt, and learn from him, as we learned and organized and taught about metadata. He was genuine and kind, and did much for our community (and many others!). Aside from the monks practicing "data metta" slide, my most telling memory of Matt was giving a metadata tutorial to 3 people. Matt deftly turned the plan around, so we learned what they cared about. He helped us all take something nice away from that exchange, for which I will always be grateful.

I was shocked to hear only today the sad news of Matt's passing, nearly a month away. I worked closely with Matt on GoMRI data management team for about five years. Matt was a respected oceanographer and a pioneer in data management. He was a gentleman, who treated all well. I will miss his intellect, friendship and sense of humor. My condolences to his family and friends.

This is a tough loss for me to take. The last time I caught up with Matt, just the week before, I’m sure a big part of the cheer I took away was the expectation that there are surely many more years of friendship ahead. I’m still shocked at the loss. My tribute to Matt is like so many who have written here - a strong, gentle, funny, open-minded and open-hearted professional and friend, a kindred musical spirit, of many years - who also taught me a thing or two. And by those words I mean specific times and memories and laughs and insights that I hold as my personal memories of Matt. I’m left with the stark feeling that its a person’s whole life that ends, so much vaster than just my window to him. I appreciate the messages that loss and comfort go together. It will take a while for me. I want to extend to those closest to Matt and his fullness of life, my appreciation of the man, and my sense of how tough it is to lose him.

Sorry to hear of your loss. One of the clearest teachings in the Bible is that dead loved ones will return to life. John 5:28, 29 says, "all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out." What an amazing promise.

I had the privilege of working with Matt for several years on a collaborative data project. He was a brilliant, skilled professional, but what I remember most is his contagious enthusiasm and good humor. The room always lit up a little more when Matt was in it. I will miss him, as a scientist and as a person.

Even know I have only known Matt for a short period of time he was one who left me with a quick positive impression. He was truly a professional and a leader in Data Management not just at GCOOS but across all IOOS (we were the fortunate regional association to have him). I enjoyed talking with him about life in general in after hour cocktails at our GCOOS meetings. I know his recent marriage meant a lot to him. His work will live on as well as memories of Matt. God bless his family and may the great memories help in getting you through this unexpected loss and days ahead!

I’m still trying to find the words to describe how I feel about the loss of this great man. I met Matt for the first time in the good ole O&m building elevator. We had many conversations in that elevator; his music preference being one of them. He was an amazing person in his heart and brilliant when it came to his job. I missed him when I left TAMU and I miss him more now. My condolences to his family and wife who he loved dearly. Rest In Peace Matt ❤️

Matt and I met some 7 years ago when I joined the GCOOS Team. I was immediately drawn to his intellect, dedication, and his unique humor. His passing is a loss I (we) will feel personally and professionally for quite some time. My heart goes out to his families, both those personal and professional, of which he was a cornerstone.

I starting working with Matt in 2010 following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and during the early days of the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative. He was a guiding hand in establishing the data management for that program. Matt did a lot of important things for science in the Gulf, and he went about it in such an affable way. I’m going to miss Matt professionally, like so many will, but I will miss his camaraderie and kindness, always. My condolences to Matt's family.

I met Matt in 2007 when I was with University of Miami when we were paired to design an information system for one of the Caribbean countries. In 2008, he invited me to start the GCOOS Data Portal. The early development stages of the data portal were not without us debating on issues. I am most impressed with how he articulates his thoughts and remains open to new ideas. Matt respects the expertise across functional silos, and this rare attribute, made my job so much more comfortable, and I enjoyed working with Matt. He is a colleague and a friend you want on your side, not only during good days when you can share moments in life, laugh at your mistakes, share deep secrets and share a shot of martini or two but especially when the sea is rough. Matt is always there to cover your rear.

I only got to know Matt this past year or so as I recently moved to the Gulf. However, his upbeat attitude, humor, and dedication to the field were undeniable, and made it a pleasure to work with him. His presence, knowledge, and contributions will be sorely missed.

If our lives are measured by the people in them, then my life is all the richer from knowing Matt. I met Matt in 2002 at a meeting at the NOAA Coastal Services Center in Charleston, SC. As fellow ocean data enthusiasts, we bonded over a marine metadata web page that I had created, but didn’t think anyone else had even seen, let alone used. Matt had. For 15 years, from my time at MBARI to working with GCOOS, I was incredibly fortunate to work with Matt. He was thoughtful, committed, helpful, and realistic. He was also a wonderful friend. He shared jokes, gardening tips, and a glass of wine or two. He loved to listen to my crazy stories about living in The Netherlands with my husband and two young boys. He particularly enjoyed the tale of me putting the boys, groceries, Orangina, beer, and a 70-pound dog in our cargo bike (called a “bakfiets”) and biking (ever so slowly) to the beach. When I was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma, Matt reached out to me, despite the fact that one of his brothers had died from the same disease. I imagine it was incredibly difficult for Matt to discuss, but he was still there for me and I will always treasure that. I will miss him greatly. My deepest condolences to his family and friends.

Deepest condolences to Matt’s family and friends. I knew Matt since the earliest pre-IOOS days and he was always a generous colleague — he was the canonical Ocean Data manager that others aspired to be like. Last time I saw him in Mobile this winter, Matt was talking about his plans to enjoy his upcoming retirement. His loss is heartbreaking to his family and all of us...

Oh my God...what a horrific loss for us all. Always remembering your professionalism, dry sense of humor and friendship. May you rest in peace and find comfort in the hands of the Lord. God Bless you Matt and family.

To Matt's family, colleagues, and friends, Condolences. A loss for us all. Matt's legacy of high-quality science and his great human qualities remain inspirations for all. John W. Farrington, Dean emeritus, WHOI, and a GOMRI colleague.

"Los Angeles...he walks again by night. Out of the fog and into the smog. Relentlessly. Ruthlessly. (I wonder where Ruth is?) Doggedly. (bark bark) Towards his weekly meeting with the unknown. At 4th and Drucker he turns left. At Drucker and 4th he turns right. He crosses MacArthur Park and walks into a great sandstone building. (smack) "

Matt was one of the very few people I knew that would have instantly started trading lines with me from that Firesign Theatre sketch. The last time I saw Matt was in Mobile, and as we waited for the photographer to get our group picture I quietly said 'Where's your school spirit?' Matt somehow heard me and promptly answered with 'In the rumble seat, of course! Want a snort?' We went back and forth with Firesign for about five minutes, to the great consternation of those around us.

I will miss Matt's humor, his vast knowledge of all things data, and his conviction that each developer should have his or her own toolbox and not be told with which brushes to paint. I will miss you, my friend.

Tell Nick Danger the CodeMonkey says 'Greetings', and I look forward to once again being able to raise a glass of school spirit with you.

Matt was a wonderful man and will be truly missed. I used to laugh and roll my eyes after he would put up the final slide of any presentation. That image will always remind me of him. I will miss his council and support greatly.

I will forever remember Matt as a kind, gentle man who always greeted me with genuine joy to see me. He brought to the IOOS community sage wisdom and a fantastic sense of humor. I will really miss him. My condolences to Matt's family as well as his GCOOS and TAMU colleagues and friends.

I'm sitting here staring at the computer that Matt bought for me- we loved this computer! Every time I'd see him we would sit together and make the computer do cool stuff. Although I've only known Matt for a year, he instantly became a mentor to me. His expertise and knowledge was profound but everyone knows that. What struck me about Matt was his ability to make you feel like you were just as special as him. I looked forward to every call and every meeting when he was a part of it. This is going to be hard but Matt would want us to continue on with the work he paved the path for. I'll never forget his support and friendship..and I'll always think of him when I visit New Orleans. Hope you're sipping a gin on the rocks my friend, your cool and classy ways will always be cherished. My heartfelt condolences to Matt's wife and family.

I first met Matt in 1984, when a slight employment misunderstanding in ocean engineering led me to seek further enlightenment in the oceanography department. Smooth-talking devil Bill Merrill took about 30 seconds to convince me to switch to the oceanography side, and when I first visited the 6th floor I felt most diminutive upon meeting Matt and Mark Johnson, both towering human beings who made my neck hurt attempting to look up far enough to talk to them.

In retrospect, it was the best decision I've ever made. I was privileged to learn from half a dozen of the best teachers I've ever encountered, and they were all physical oceanographers. And one of my fellow students was Matt. Our paths were parallel over the next decade or so as we both finished our coursework, got reeled in by the Applied Research Corporation (ARC) group locally led by Tom Crowley and Gerry North, and returned to the department after ARC imploded. Then the competition to see who could finish his doctorate began, which Matt won easily. I followed him a few years later, mainly via massive threats from my committee members.

Matt and I had a mutual intetest in gardening, especially when it came to hot peppers. I happily remember the first time we each visited each other's gardens when he lived over near Harvey and I on Foch Sreet. When I moved away from Foch to a place without any garden space I gardened vicariously through him for several years, until Barbara and I built a place out of town with plenty of gardening space in 2011. It wasn't until last year that we had Matt and others out to see the place, but I was very pleased when he enjoyed what I'd done with the garden as much as I did. When he and Eileen moved to a new place I kept riding him about how many raised beds he was going to put in. Just a few weeks ago he gleefully informed me that he'd just finished a large L-shaped raised bed at his new place, and that he'd bought 20 large bags of perlite as part of a custom soil with which he was going to fill it. He also inquired about any spare plants I might have for him. I said there'd always be spares for him and that I'd be more than happy to help him with his new raised bed. That I'll not be able to do this makes me as sad as anything.

We've been calling each other duderonomy in the halls of oceanography for a very, very long time. Goodbye, duderonomy, and I know you'll find happy trails wherever you are, and probably find stranger and more fun music than I could. Party well with your brothers and Frank Zappa, and I'll be along soon enough to join the celebration.

I am fortunate to have had Matt as a friend and colleague. I was always in awe of his skills and knowledge in all aspects of ocean data management, and grateful to benefit from them. Matt was a great person to converse with, whatever the topic, because of his intellect and sense of humor. He is missed very much. My sympathies to his family.

Matt Howard was a quiet man with a towering intellect. He was a foundational pillar to the GCOOS-Regional Association and a major contributor to its success. Eternal Rest grant onto him. May he Rest In Peace.

Although Matt and I only directly worked with each other for 4 years, the respect and trust I had in him made it seem like we had been working together for decades. He was kind, funny, and always there to back me up. He was my wingman.

I was shocked and saddened to learn of Matt's passing. He could always be counted on for enjoyable, no-nonsense talk and was a big part of what made my visits to DC memorable. I'm very glad to have known him, if only in part.

Matt was always an authentic character always friendly, ready to help and collaborate, especially, I can say that his attention to me and other colleagues from Mexico was always respectful and kind. Matt's contributions to the world of oceanography in the Gulf of Mexico have been magnificent. At this moment, all the memorable experiences come to mind, the wonderful opportunities to share with Matt through GCOOS for more than a decade. Dear friend, this is not a farewell, just a "see you soon".

At a time where I am having difficulty finding words of my own expression, the words flowed freely when describing him.

Matt Howard was a internationally recognized leader in Ocean Data Management and his impact and influence can be seen across the ocean community and into national and international agencies. For the past 25 years, he was engaged on many decision making and policy setting panels and committees that defined standards of practice and performance for oceanographic data collection, sharing, reporting, and archiving. Practicing what he preached, he was an outstanding sea going oceanographer for more than 40 years on dozens of seminal oceanographic projects, whose data legacy will inspire future generations and scientific inquery for years to come.

Matt will be greatly missed personally for his infectious positive spirit and attitude. I have had the honor of being his friend for 25 years and his positive impact on my life is deep.

Absolutely shocked and saddened to hear this news today. Matt was always ready and willing to step in and help out in any way possible, and his expertise was invaluable. A huge presence, both physically and technically, with a generous spirit. My sincerest condolences to Matt's family and his extended GCOOS and TAMU families.